Schott Corporation

Schott Ag

Schott North America Inc.

Kevin Tabor

Paige Higby

Michael Weisser

Richard Strack

Paulette I K Onorato

Bernd Schultheis

Hubertus Russert

Robert A Rubino, Jr

Steffen Reichel

Burkhard Danielzik

Philipp Treis

Oliver Sohr

Holger Werner

John Hansson

Paulette Onorato

Scott A Raszka

Loic Barbedette

James Triba

Gary DiGregorio

Patricia Dawson

Sebastian Leugner

Michael Dargie

Paulettel Onorato

An image-conducting optical fiber bundle extends along a central bundle axis between image input and image output ends. The bundle is twisted along a portion of its length such that an image inputted into the image input end is angularly displaced about the central bundle axis before being outputted through the image output end. Each constituent optical fiber includes a cladding with a cladding diameter corresponding with the fiber diameter of that fiber and a core with a core diameter. The ratio of the core diameter to the cladding diameter defines a core-to-clad diameter ratio relative to each fiber. In various embodiments, at least one of fiber diameter and core-to-clad diameter ratio varies as a function of a fiber's radial displacement from the central bundle axis.

Foveal image inverter

A shielding mesh to counter scattered ionizing radiation is provided. The shielding mesh includes a plate, arrangement of depressions, a mesh of trenches, and an x-ray-absorbing material. The plate has a first side and a second side opposite the first side. The arrangement of depressions are in the plate and are open toward the second side. The mesh of trenches are in the plate and are open toward the first side. The x-ray-absorbing material is in the mesh of trenches. The mesh of trenches and arrangement of depressions are configured so that a wall of the plate remains between the arrangement of depressions and the mesh of trenches.

Shielding mask for scattered ionizing radiation and method for production thereof

An illumination system is provided that includes a spatial fiber arrangement with an optical element at the distal end of the fiber arrangement. The fiber arrangement has a first region including individual fibers with a significantly smaller active diameter in comparison with the individual fibers of a remaining region. The optical element at the distal end is assigned the remaining region. The fiber arrangement can be a rigid fiber rod that includes an intermediate region provided between the first region and the remaining region. The intermediate region suppresses stray light transfers between the first and remaining regions. The fiber arrangement can include an optical coupling element at a proximal end of the fiber rod.

Illumination system comprising heterogeneous fiber arrangement

An optical component includes at least one light-guiding element with a side surface extending between incident and emission faces between which light that is introduced into the incident face can propagate by internal reflection. Disposed over at least a portion of the side surface of at least one of the at least one light-guiding elements is an extramural absorption material that is configured to selectively absorb 'stray light' that enters the incident face of the light-guiding element, but which exists through the side surface instead of the emission face. The absorption material is fabricated, at least in part, from an electro-chromic material exhibiting a translucency that is selectively adjustable in response to changes in at least one of (i) electrical current applied through at least a portion of the absorption material and (ii) an electrical potential difference applied between disparate locations within the absorption material.

Optical components with variable electro-chromic extra-mural absorption capability

An imaging module includes an optical fiber faceplate with an image-input face, a planar image-output face, and a plurality of adjacently fused, internally reflecting imaging conduits extending between the image-input and image-output faces. The constituent imaging conduits extend along conduit axes that mutually converge in a direction that such that an image inputted through the image-input face is reduced in size along at least one dimension for outputting through the image-output face. The imaging module further includes an imaging detector array including a plurality of photosensitive detector elements arranged in accordance with a predetermined array format. The faceplate is situated in front of the detector array such that light incident upon the image-input face is transmitted through the faceplate and optically communicated to the detector elements through the image-output face. Multiple imaging modules can be tiled in tight formations in order to form a larger format imaging array.

Optical fiber faceplates including convergent constituent imaging conduits and tiled imaging arrays incorporating the same

The invention relates to a display device having a fiber-optic plate and a display with an image plane on which the image information of the display is generated, the fiber-optic plate comprising a fiber bundle with a multiplicity of fiber cores extending beside one another, which are enclosed by a cladding material and which transmit light from an entry face of the fiber-optic plate, facing the display, to an exit face of the fiber-optic plate, wherein the entry face of the fiber-optic plate lies further away from the image plane than the lateral dimension of the smallest image information representable by the display.

Display device with fiber-optic arrangement

An elongated light-guiding element includes opposed incident and emission ends between which light propagates by total internal reflection. The light-guiding element includes a glass core with first and second glass core ends and a glass-core outer surface. A non-glass polymeric optical layer extends over at least a portion of the length of the glass core and is disposed peripherally thereabout. The optical layer has first and second optical-layer ends and an optical-layer exterior surface extending between the first and second optical-layer ends. The glass core and the polymeric optical layer exhibit indices of refraction that are matched to one another as closely as practicable such that the combination of the glass core and the optical layer exhibits optical properties similar to those that would be exhibited by an optical element of similar shape and dimensions fabricated from a single, continuous mass of optical material having a refractive index equal to the that of the glass core material.

Light conduits having peripheral, shape-defining polymer overmolds

An illumination assembly includes a light-emitting element that emits light over a light-source numerical aperture and an elongated light-guiding element including opposed incident and emission ends between which ends light propagates by total internal reflection. The light-guiding element includes along a portion of its length a numerical-aperture alteration taper having opposed small and large ends exhibiting, respectively, a small-end numerical aperture and a large-end numerical aperture lower in magnitude than the small-end numerical aperture. The alteration taper is oriented such that the small end is more proximate the incident end than the large end. The incident end is in light-collecting proximity and alignment with the light-emitting element such that light emitted from the light-emitting element over the small-end numerical aperture and received into the small end of the alteration taper is emitted from the emission end of the light-guiding element at an emission numerical aperture lower in magnitude than the small-end numerical aperture.

Illumination assembly including a rigid light-guiding element incorporating a numerical-aperture alteration taper

Well plates adaptable for specimen sampling in the biological, chemical and pharmaceutical sciences are fabricated by dissolving fusedly-retained cores from the cladding material of a fused fiber plate to define a capillary plate including first and second faces and a plurality of through-voids into which fluidic samples may be deposited for analysis. Closed-bottom wells are defined by bonding one of the first and second faces to a base plate or by securing into well-sealing positions over the open ends of selected through-voids optical elements, each of which optical elements exhibits a predetermined optical property. Cladding material including reducible ions is exposed to a reduction atmosphere in order to blacken selected regions of a well plate, thereby enhancing sample analysis by reducing such disadvantageous phenomena as autofluorescence.

Micro-well and methods of fabricating and selectively blackening the same

Methods of fabricating extra-mural absorption elements adapted for incorporation in an image-conducting optical fiber array include fabricating various constituent components to be included in an optical fiber bundle from one or more reducible-ion-containing glasses. Various components fabricated from a reducible-ion-containing glass are selectively exposed to a reducing atmosphere such that they are reduction-blackened prior to at least one heating and drawing step relative to the bundle into which they are to be fusedly incorporated. Such 'pre-blackened' components function as extra-mural absorption media throughout the length of an image-conducting optical fiber array and alternatively include fiber claddings and substitutional and interstitial extra-mural absorption elements.

Ion-reduction-blackened extra-mural absorbing media adapted for inclusion in image-conducting optical fiber arrays and methods of fabricating the same

A ruggedized optical rearrangement device is provided. The device includes an input side having multiple separate flexible input light guide arrays, each of the arrays including multiple light guides. The device also includes an output side in which the light guides are repositioned to form multiple flexible output light guide arrays. A tube positioned between the input and output sides protects a transition region of the plurality of light guides. Adapters are positioned at each end of the tube, and at least one flexible strength element associated with the light guide arrays is connected to the adapters to prevent damage to the light guides. A method for ruggedizing an optical rearrangement device is also provided.

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Webster, MA, United States of America

Kevin Tabor